“They can’t do that, can they?” Nova’s voice was high-pitched, and she cleared her throat. “Where would everyone go if it closed down? The center is always so busy.”
“You don’t have to tellmethat, I’ve worked here for twenty-four years!” Sandy breathed in through her nose before exhaling loudly. “I know how much the community needs this place. But the council is short of money, and we’re sitting on a piece of prime Cornish real estate.”
“Surely they must realize how unpopular it would be to close us down?” Lauren said. “If nothing else, it would piss off a load of voters.”
“They know that, which is why they’re being so conniving about the whole thing. Rather than simply saying they’re going to end ourlease, they’ve given me ten days to show how I can recoup the stolen money from our existing budget.”
“But that’s impossible. We can barely afford toilet roll; how the hell are you meant to find ten thousand pounds?”
“Of course it’s impossible, that’s the point. And when I say I can’t do it, that’ll mean the roof repair work can’t be done, and they’ll have the perfect excuse to close us down on health and safety grounds.”
“I take it the insurers won’t pay out?” Nova said.
“No. As I feared, the unlocked door invalidates our policy.” Sandy’s eyes flicked to her as she said this, and Nova felt her cheeks burn.
“What if we tried to find the money another way? Could we delay the roof repairs and fund-raise again?”
“That’s not an option. The inspector made it very clear that this roof won’t last another winter, and we’re already in mid-October. Besides, it’s taken us more than a year to raise this money, and we’re still well short of the full amount we need.”
“This is absolutely ridiculous,” Lauren said. “How are you supposed to magic ten thousand pounds out of thin air in ten days?”
“I have no idea,” Sandy said. “ I’m going through the budget with a fine-tooth comb, but there’s no reserves in here, thanks to the bloody Tories and fourteen years of their cuts.”
“Have the police had any luck tracing Michael?” Nova asked.
Sandy shrugged. “I’ve not heard back from Yusaf yet, but that’s the kind of miracle we need.”
The room fell into silence, and Nova felt her stomach twist. She’d been worrying about losing her job, but this wassomuch worse. Where on earth would everyone go if the center closed? The parents who relied on the play group, the young people who used the centeras a safe space, the older people who came for somewhere warm to socialize, not to mention the dozens of different community groups from all around the area who hired their rooms each week. All that could be lost, and it would be her fault.
“What are we going to do?”
Sandy let out a long, exhausted sigh. “Give me a couple of days to keep working on this budget, just in case there’s a way of recouping the money somehow.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Find the missing money?” Sandy gave a humorless laugh. “In all seriousness, just keep your head down and try not to cause any more trouble. The council are going to be watching us like hawks, and I don’t want to give them any more ammunition.”
Nova nodded, the wordtroubleringing in her ears.
Chapter Six
Nova
Nova stumbled out of the meeting to find the community center in its usual Friday morning chaos. Every week, a volunteer-run food bank was held in the main hall, and from nine thirty until one o’clock, there was a constant flow of people coming through the center doors to stock up on food for their families, as well as have a cup of tea and a friendly chat. As Nova walked past the front door, she saw a queue had already formed outside, even though they didn’t open for another fifteen minutes. Her stomach lurched again at the thought of what all these people would do if the center closed and the food bank could no longer happen.
“Morning, Nova.” Arthur Robinson, who volunteered every week making tea, was standing in the main hall, trying to coax the ancient urn into life. “Any chance you know the magic spell for this thing?”
“Let me have a look.” Nova joined him behind the table and began to fiddle with the temperamental cable.
“I had young PC Khan on the phone this morning,” Arthur said, lowering his voice. “He told me about the theft during book club.”
“I’m sorry about that,” she whispered back. “I did try to tell him it wouldn’t have been you.”
“Oh, never mind that. I just can’t believe anyone would steal from this place.”
“It looks like it might have been Michael.”
Arthur’s white eyebrows shot up. “The man who ran out? He didn’t look the thieving type.”
